J.J. Abrams Sets ‘The Shining’ Spinoff and ‘Justice League Dark’ Dramas at HBO Max
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HBO Max has ordered three series from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, including a show inspired by Stephen King’s “The Shining.”
The upcoming series are all one-hour dramas and will mark the first Bad Robot-produced television projects for HBO Max, the WarnerMedia-owned streaming service slated to launch sometime in May.
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“Overlook” is a horror-thriller series inspired by and featuring iconic characters from King’s “The Shining,” and the guests of its haunted Colorado locale. The show will explore the untold, terrifying stories from the Overlook Hotel, which served as the setting for King’s horror masterpiece and Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation. The project will mark the latest collaboration between Bad Robot, King, and Warner Bros. Television, who previously collaborated on Hulu’s “Castle Rock.”
Bad Robot is also working on “Duster” for HBO Max, which will be co-written by Abrams and LaToya Morgan (“The Walking Dead,” “Shameless”) and will center on the life of a gutsy getaway driver for a growing crime syndicate that “goes from awful to wildly, stupidly, dangerously awful,” according to HBO Max.
HBO Max described the third project as a major series to be based on DC Comics characters from “Justice League Dark,” though additional details have yet to be revealed. It’s unknown what characters could appear in the series, though the superhero team has featured eclectic heroes such as John Constantine, Swamp Thing, and Deadman. A Deadman film was previously in the works with Guillermo del Toro (fun fact: del Toro coincidentally voiced a character called Deadman in the “Death Stranding” video game last year). Details about that project have been limited.
Regardless, the news that Abrams is working on a “Justice League” television series should sit well with comic book diehards. Many of Disney+’s most-anticipated projects are its Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows and it has long been expected that WarnerMedia would utilize its DC license to produce its own superhero shows for its upcoming streaming service. Greg Berlanti is working on an unrelated “Green Lantern” series for HBO Max.
“What an amazing start to our association with the wildly imaginative Bad Robot team under J.J. and Katie,” Kevin Reilly, HBO Max’s Chief Content Officer, said in a statement. “What could be better than an original J.J. idea and then Warner Bros. letting them loose on iconic I.P. from Stephen King and the DC Universe and to provide more must-have programming on HBO Max.”
The series announcements are a product of Abrams’ $500-million deal to move Bad Robot under WarnerMedia’s corporate roof. Current Bad Robot television series produced through Warner Bros. Television include HBO’s “Westworld” and Hulu’s aforementioned “Castle Rock.” Upcoming projects include “Demimonde” and “Lovecraft Country” for HBO, as well as “Lisey’s Story,” “Little Voice,” and “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends” for Apple TV+.
HBO Max’s exact May launch date and slate of launch originals have yet to be announced.
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